1. Field of Art
The disclosure generally relates to computer security, and more specifically to detecting fraudulent web sites.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internet fraud is a serious problem for both businesses and consumers. In particular, Internet users are under constant threat from various computer and network sources. In one prevalent type of online scam known as “phishing”, a fraudulent web site is set up that impersonates a well-known trusted web site. Targeted web sites often include bank web sites, credit card web sites, e-commerce sites, and other web sites of established institutions. The fraudulent web site is made to look authentic enough that the user will believe that he or she is viewing a legitimate web site of the established institution. Users are directed to the fraudulent web site and are tricked into entering sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, credit card information, social security numbers, etc. This information is collected by the attackers and can be used for various criminal purposes.
To direct users to the fraudulent website, the phishing attacker often sends out an email falsely claiming to be the legitimate institution. The email may claim, for example, that there is a problem with the user's online account or with a recent transaction using the web site. The user follows a hyperlink in the email to the fraudulent web site and is prompted for various types of personal information. Because the fraudulent web site is designed to look and operate like the trusted web site, many users do not realize that they are being tricked. Thus, users are highly likely to willingly provide the requested personal information.
Creating such fraudulent web sites is simple and inexpensive because source code for the legitimate web sites is readily available for download. Thus, a phishing attacker can simply copy code from the legitimate web site and create a replica of the web site with little effort. Phishing is a significant problem not only because of the fraud involved, but because it undermines user's confidence in online transactions and makes it difficult for online companies to communicate with their customers via email. Thus, phishing affects both the users that are being scammed by the phishing attack and the institutions that are being impersonated. Therefore, what is needed is a system for detecting fraudulent web sites in order to prevent or deter phishing attacks.